Academic Performance Assessment

Article 29 of the Collective Agreement outlines the process for academic performance assessment and Progression Through the Ranks (PTR) along with OAAs for Continuing, Limited Term, Contingent Term, Special Limited Term or Pre-Tenure Track academic staff.

Progression Through the Ranks (PTR)

Progression Through the Ranks (PTR) are the annual increases to Rank Salary for academic staff members who meet the expected standards of performance for academic staff members at the University of Calgary. The value of these increases is established in Schedule A (Article 29.1.4).

Outstanding Achievement Awards (OAAs)

Outstanding Achievement Awards (OAAs) are increases to Rank Salary awarded to a limited number of academic staff. They are intended to recognize excellence and an academic staff member’s exceptional and outstanding performance. The value of these Awards is $1650 as established in Schedule A. Academic staff shall not be eligible for an OAA if they have received an OAA in the immediately preceding review cycle (Article 29.1.4).

Covid Period OAAs

Covid Period OAAs are increases to Rank Salary awarded to a limited number of staff for the 2023 assessment only. These awards are for academic staff members whose performance during the 2019 to 2021 merit cycle was excellent, exceptional and outstanding. The value of these awards is $1000. (MOA Covid Period Assessment)

Process for 2023

Academic Staff Members should review Article 29 – Academic Performance Assessment and Progression Through the Ranks (PTR) June 2023. This document outlines both eligibility and important process information. The steps below reflect the high-level process — refer to the assessment timeline for more details.

  1. Eligible Academic Staff Members will use Academic Portfolio to submit an Academic Performance Report (APR), with an option to submit applications for an OAA and/or COVID Period Award. You should expect a notification by July 17, 2023 that the system is ready for your submission. Training guides for Academic Portfolio will also be available on July 17, 2023.
  2. Submit your documents through Academic Portfolio by your faculty’s deadline which will be provided by your Dean.
  3. The Department Head (or Equivalent in non-departmentalized faculties) will review your APR and provide a recommendation for PTR to the Dean by September 8, 2023. Applications for OAA and/or COVID Period OAA will be forwarded to the Faculty Advisory Council (FAC).
  4. The FAC will review OAAs and COVID Period Award applications between October 16 and November 7, 2023 and make a recommendation to the Dean. Decisions regarding OAA and COVID Period Awards will be communicated to you by November 22, 2023.
  5. Performance increases will be paid on your December 10 pay cheque, retroactive to July 1.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Progression Through the Ranks (PTR)

PTR Increases are the annual increases to Rank Salary for academic staff members who meet the expected standards of performance for academic staff members at the University of Calgary. The value of these increases differs by rank, stream, and salary. These values are outlined in Schedule A of the Collective Agreement.

Continuing, Contingent Term, Limited Term, Special Limited Term and Pre-Tenure Track academic staff members met the expected standards of performance during the assessment period (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2023).

Academic staff members who were hired from January 1 – June 30, 2023 will not be assessed, but will be provided with a default PTR Increase.

Academic staff members who have announced their resignation or retirement from the University to commence by December 31, 2023 will not be assessed, but will be provided with a default PTR Increase.

For academic staff members that were on leave during the assessment period, please refer to Articles 29.3.4-29.3.6.

Please refer Article 29.3 for further details.

The performance standards for each rank are outlined in the GFC Academic Staff Criteria and Processes Handbook (June 2021), and the Faculty Guidelines which were in effect on July 1, 2021.

Assessment criteria must be applied in a manner consistent with the range and proportion of duties assigned to the academic staff member in their Workload Assignment. And PTR increases must be assessed on the full duties performed by the academic staff member.

The value of PTR increases differs by rank, stream, and salary. These values are outlined in Schedule A of the Collective Agreement.

Submit your Academic Performance Report (APR) in Academic Portfolio. This document will be reviewed by your Department Head.

Please note: Faculty 180 has not been updated with the most recent information (e.g. sessional courses, research, etc.). You may manually update your courses, research activities.

However, it is not necessary to use Faculty180 for your APR.

In relation to Progression Through the Ranks, the APR is a free-form 2 to 5 page document, to highlight an academic’s performance in areas such as: teaching, research, service and other additional work. You may opt to download information from Faculty 180 for the period of July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023 to include in your APR, but Faculty 180 activity reporting information is not required to submit your APR.

 

The APR should provide a summary of your academic work between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2023, outlining how you have met the criteria in the GFC Academic Staff Criteria and Processes Handbook and Faculty Guidelines, and identifying any particular achievements you would like to be recognized in the following areas: (1) teaching; (2) research; (3) service, and/or 4) other academic work.

The report should be between 2 and 5 pages in length.

The deadline is set by each Faculty, and will be no later than September 1, 2023.

In the absence of a report submitted by the academic staff member, the Head’s PTR assessment process will be based on the information they are routinely aware of (the assignment of duties, reports of research grants awarded, etc.).

If your Department Head is recommending that you receive a PTR increase, you will receive a notification indicating this by September 8, 2023. A Head’s recommendation in favour of a PTR increase is considered final.

If your Department Head is considering not recommending a PTR increase, you will receive a notification indicating this by September 8, 2023. If this occurs, please review the full process outlined in Article 29 of the Collective Agreement.

For academic staff members that were on leave during the assessment period, please refer to Articles 29.3.4-29.3.6.

If eligible, when an academic staff member returns from leave the Head will remind the academic staff member of their case in Academic Portfolio. The academic staff member will need to complete their Academic Performance Assessment case in Academic Portfolio. The Head will then complete their assessment and recommendation. Once completed, the Head will email hracadem@ucalgary.ca to action the PTR assessment recommendation. 

You can access your Progression Through the Ranks (PTR) Notification letter via the UofC Portal:

  1. Sign in to My UCalgary on the University of Calgary website
  2. Click on All about me in the top menu
  3. Click on My pay-Payroll Details section
  4. Click on Employee Pay Notifications (ensure the pop-up blocker is disabled)
    • The current year's notification letter will automatically display
    • If you receive a pop-up stating “Your notification letter is not available through Employee Self Service, please email hr@ucalgary.ca to receive your letter

Outstanding Achievement Awards (OAAs) and COVID Period OAAs

OAAs are increases to Rank Salary awarded to a limited number of academic staff. They are intended to recognize excellence and an academic staff member’s exceptional and outstanding performance between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2023.

Up to 16.5% of academic staff members in each Faculty may be eligible to receive this award. The value of these awards is $1,650. 

Academic staff will not be eligible for an OAA in 2025 if they receive an OAA in 2023.

COVID Period OAAs are increases to Rank Salary awarded to a limited number of academic staff for the 2023 assessment only. These awards are for academic staff members whose performance between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2021 was excellent, exceptional and outstanding. 

Up to 16.5% of academic staff members in each Faculty may be eligible to receive this award. The value of these awards is $1000.

The criteria for assessing outstanding achievement are outlined  in the GFC Academic Staff Criteria and Processes Handbook (June 2021), and the Faculty Guidelines which were in effect on July 1, 2021.

Assessment criteria will be applied in a manner consistent with the range and proportion of duties assigned to the academic staff member in their Workload Assignment. OAAs must be assessed on the full duties performed by the academic staff member.

 

Submit an application through Academic Portfolio.

In addition to the regular APR material, applicants for the COVID Period OAA must provide additional information which demonstrates excellence and exceptional and outstanding performance between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2021.

Use your discretion to determine the appropriate substance and volume of material you wish to be considered for a COVID Period OAA. However, the supplementary material cannot be longer than 5 pages.

Submit an application through Academic Portfolio.

In addition to the regular APR material, applicants for the OAA must provide additional information which demonstrates excellence and exceptional and outstanding performance between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2023.

The supplementary material cannot be longer than 5 pages.

The deadline for these applications is the same as the deadline for APR submissions. This deadline is set by each Faculty, and is no later than September 1, 2023.

Yes. If you are in this situation please contact hracadem@ucalgary.ca to request that a case be opened so that you can submit your application through Academic Portfolio.

Yes, Department Heads (or Equivalents in non-departmentalized faculties) can nominate academic staff members who did not apply.

Academic Administrators

An Academic Administrator is a Head, Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, Vice Dean (not senior leadership), Associate University Librarian, Associate Vice Provost (Libraries and Cultural Resources), Associate Director (Student and Enrollment Services), the Director of the Educational Development Unit (Taylor Institute), or any other academic positions agreed by the Provost and the Faculty Association.

If you were in an Academic Administrator appointment during the assessment period, and are still in that role; or you were an Academic Administrator for greater than 12 months during the assessment period, but are no longer, you will be assessed under the Academic Administrator process.

If you were appointed an Academic Administrator on or after July 1, 2023, or you served 12 months or less as an Academic Administrator during the assessment period, and are no longer serving in that role, your assessment will follow the normal process.

Head Assessment

Once the Head has completed their assessment, and shared their recommendation through Academic Portfolio, the Academic Staff Member will need to login to view the shared committee file.

Please see the Job Aid for instructions on how to access, view and download the recommendation file.

Head recommendations will be available, no later than September 8.

In the absence of a report submitted by the academic staff member, the Head’s PTR assessment process will be based on the information they are routinely aware of (the assignment of duties, reports of research grants awarded, etc.) - CA 29.1.4 b)

Please contact the academic staff member, should you have further questions.

Please see the Department Head Assessment Job Aid on how to share your recommendation through Academic Portfolio. Recommendations must be shared no later than September 8.

For academic staff members that were on leave during the assessment period, please refer to Articles 29.3.4-29.3.6.

If eligible, when an academic staff member returns from leave the Head will remind the academic staff member of their case in Academic Portfolio. The academic staff member will have to complete their case in Academic Portfolio. The Head will then complete their assessment and recommendation. Once completed, the Head will email hracadem@ucalgary.ca to action the PTR assessment recommendation. 

Timeline for Payment

PTR increases will be paid on October 25.

OAAs are scheduled to be paid on December 10.

*Eligible employees on leave, will be paid upon return from leave, pending their PTR assessment recommendation.

PTR increases will be applied before the application of the OAA.

Eligible employees on leave, will be paid upon return from leave, pending the completion of their PTR assessment recommendation. Please contact hracadem@ucalgary.ca for assistance. 

Technical Support

Interfolio is experiencing a technical error causing some Department Head Recommendation forms to fail to load (a blank page shows). This is only occurring a small number of cases.

If you encounter this issue, please keep a list of the cases you were unable to fill out the form, and send it to hracadem@ucalgary.ca as soon as possible.

As we are waiting for Interfolio to resolve this technical error, you may also notify your employee by email of your PTR recommendation. Once the technical error has been resolved, a copy of the recommendation can be provided to the employee through Academic Portfolio.

Please see the revised Head Assessment Job Aid (page 8-11), to confirm the PTR recommendation has been appropriately attached to the email when sharing in Academic Portfolio.

  1. After filling out the Head Recommendation form – Hit ‘Refresh on your web browser, to confirm the submitted PTR recommendation is updated on the case, and ready to share as an attachment in the email notification (through Academic Portfolio)
  2. Confirm the PTR attachment shows on the email, when 'Shared with Candidate' –
    • Department Head or Equivalent Assessment & Recommendation to FAC
      • If PTR is not attached on the email, click ‘Add
        • Click the ‘+’ button next to the Department Head Assessment and Recommendation to FAC document

No, as per Article 30 of the Collective Agreement, for the purposes of evaluating academic staff member increases (e.g. PTR, formerly merit), administrators cannot submit cases for academic staff members on their behalf.

Please ensure that you are using your UCalgary email address (i.e. XX@ucalgary.ca).

Affiliated email addresses such as @haskayne.ucalgary.ca or @ahs.ucalgary.ca, are not enabled in Academic Portfolio.

Academic Portfolio servers were migrated in March 2023, from the US to Canada servers. Users are advised to clear their web browsing data, cache and cookies.

  1. In Firefox, Edge or Chrome, press CTRL+SHIFT+Delete
    • Chrome - Ensure all boxes are checked (i.e. browsing history, cookies and other site data, cached images and files) and select Clear data
    • Firefox  - Ensure all history boxes are checked (i.e. browsing & download history, cookies, active logins, cache, form & search history) and select Clear Now
    • Edge - Select your time range (all time). Ensure that the boxes for browsing history, download history, cookies and other site data and cached images and files are checked, then select Clear now
  2. Once your cache is cleared, please try logging in again through your myUCalgary portal via:
    All About Me -> My Job -> Academic Portfolio

Still have login issues? Please contact help@interfolio.com for further assistance.

In the meantime, please review the reference documents, guidelines, timeline and job aids for further details. We recommend viewing the training video available on our website in the resources section above, that demonstrates how to submit through Academic Portfolio, to further familiarize yourself.

Contact hracadem@ucalgary.ca and begin preparing any relevant documentation related to your Academic Performance Assessment submission.

Please review the reference documents, guidelines, timeline and job aids for further details. We recommend viewing the training video available on our website in the resources section above, that demonstrates how to submit through Academic Portfolio, to further familiarize yourself. Once your case is created, you can begin uploading your document(s).

Questions

For questions on the processes or feedback on this site, please email: hracadem@ucalgary.ca